Do you work from home and find yourself wandering over to the kitchen more than you should?
A survey from Regus Canada revealed that 47% of Canadians work remotely at least part of the time.
While it’s great to save money on commuting and be able to walk your dog on the reg, many find that working from home provides too much temptation for unhealthy snacking.
Along with an expanding waistline, an unhealthy diet can also lead to fatigue and anxiety, making it harder to focus on work. If you’re having trouble maintaining healthy home office habits, follow this advice and you’ll be feeling better in no time.
1. Don’t work near the kitchen
The closer you are to food, the more likely you are to eat it! Makes sense, right?
The easiest way to avoid temptation is to simply make sure that wherever you set up your workstation is away from the kitchen. If you live in a small space and this isn’t possible, at least try to keep it out of your line of sight!
2. Schedule your snack and mealtime
Discipline can be difficult. And this is as true for maintaining a healthy diet as it is maintaining an exercise routine!
If you find that you have trouble self-moderating, you can try creating a snack and meal-time schedule to help keep you accountable. Budget time each day for lunch and a healthy snack, and make sure you only eat at those times.
3. Portion your snacks (don’t bring the whole bag to your desk!)
Along with scheduling your meal and snack times, it’s important to make sure you’re observing portion control.
The number one rule here is to NOT BRING THE WHOLE BAG TO YOUR DESK! It’s good to have a set of different size bowls and cups for snacks so you won’t overeat. For example, a mug of chips, or a shot glass full of nuts.
4. Do healthy meal prep
It’s not just how much you eat, but what you eat.
Prepping your healthy lunches and healthy dinners in advance allows you to be more considerate of what you make and the types of ingredients you use. Make some delicious big batch meals on the weekend you can eat throughout the week.
This will minimize your carbs and sugary sauces, and allow you to load up on superfoods, lean protein, and delicious veggies.
5. When you eat, eat mindfully
Many of us eat at our desks while stressed. But when you’re not fully focused on the food you’re eating, you’re more likely to eat too much or make unhealthy snack choices.
When it’s time for a snack break, get away from your desk and fully enjoy your snack before getting back to work.
6. Avoid buying processed foods
Processed food is convenient, and in moderation is just fine, but if you’re eating too much of it, you should reconsider.
A high intake of the added sugar, salt and fat in processed foods can lead to health issues including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
7. Limit your caffeine intake
Delicious coffee and tea are fuel for the brain, but overindulging is taxing on the body.
Along with the potential for headaches and fatigue, too much caffeine can lead to anxiety which can cause you to lose your productivity overall.
8. Drink lots of water
The healthy opposite of too much caffeine: drinking lots of water! This keeps you hydrated, which is very important to keep your body functioning smoothly, help avoid headaches and fatigue, and focus on your work.
When you’re focused on your work, you won’t be as likely to wander to the kitchen.
9. And of course: moderate buying junk food!
The best way to avoid eating junk food is to not buy it at all!
When you create your grocery list, only add one or two snack items and stick to the list. It’s easy to impulse shop by “accidentally” stumbling to the ice cream aisle. The best way to avoid impulse food shopping is to make sure you don’t shop hungry. Always eat before you hit the grocery store to help with impulse buying that turns to instant regret.
Stocking up on healthy, nutritious food is a great method to ensure you stay on track with your diet, and have the right type of energy to power through your workouts. A positive mindset with exercise comes from your positive food habits.
We know you can do it!